Does Billy get a fair trial? From my perspective I believe Billy was given a fair trial.

From
reading the story I believe Captain Vere had no other choice but to hold an immediate trial
aboard the ship. As stated in the story a trial for such an egregious crime would have to be heard
on land, include the presence of an Admiral, whom would make the final decision concerning
punishment. Additionally, the trial would be juried by a group of seaman whom would have not
known the character of Billy Budd.
The military legal codes at the time as noted in the aforementioned paragraph depict strict
rigidity, much like the military of today. The case had to be tried; Billy would most certainly
have to face death, for he did in fact kill the Master-at-Arms.
Captain Vere acted swiftly in this matter. He did not want the ships crew, in light of the recent
mutinies, to view a lack of response for the situation as weakness amongst the leaders of the
vessel. He requested the presence of three officers to hear the case, gave them factual testimony,
only to be followed by Billy Budd stating, Captain Vere had indeed spoke the truth. A decision
needed to be made. The officers convened, at which point Captain Vere awaited their decision.
They decided Billy Budd would face death for the murder of the Master-at-Arms. I believe the
decision was sound and without the influence of Captain Vere, for he gave them two choices:
either Billy Budd would face death for his crime or be set free.
If one were to ask was the punishment fair? I would dare say it was rather extreme. For the
Captain witnessed the incident, new the Master-at-Arms was lying, and placed Billy in the
situation. He should have been set free or given a lesser punishment. The fear the Captain had to
face with a lesser punishment would have been trying to explain what occurred and how they
reached the conclusion/punishment they chose to the uneducated crew. One can see how this
may have led the Captain in believing the crew would have deemed the officers as weak. If they
chose a lesser punishment and a similar crime were to take place with a harsher punishment, it
may have led to mutiny.
RESPONSE 1:
Joel,
Excellent post, had I read your post first I may have sided with your view. I, however, may have a different
view. I guess the purpose of literature is to comprehend the story and understand; maybe I misunderstood
what I was reading.
The story as you depict is quite accurate in your post. Captain Vere in my opinion, acted only as a witness
and mentor to the junior officers. He testified on behalf of Billy, at which point shortly thereafter Billy
departs the room. Captain Vere then informs the junior officers of the decision at hand. One is to either
punish Billy for the crime by hanging him and the other being, set him free. I believe he told them there
would be no middle ground for such an egregious crime; they would not be able to explain their
conclusion to the uneducated sailors. If they chose death the uneducated would understand, find hard to
believe, but would understand. If they decided to set him free, they would not be able to discuss the
incident any further. Vere, as you stated was well aware he would not get a fair trial on land or in the
presence of an Admiral; I think the only fair way was to have the trial on the ship as they did.

I think the trial was fair from my perspective. Vere seemed only concerned with the lasting affects if the
murder were to have been announced, and Billy having received a lesser punishment than death. From
Veres standpoint it was death or nothing. I think the punishment was rather harsh given the
circumstances, had Billy came forth with all the information leading up to the confrontation; the end result
may have been different. Although, his reluctance to reveal information may have made the situation
worse, reinforcing a possible mutiny among the ship.

RESPONSE 2:
Arnoldo,
I agree with your post. I had read other postings that mention the trial as unjust. I, however, much like you
believe the trial and sentence were just based on the actions of the characters depicted in the story. Billy
Budd made a mistake, but the repercussion of a lesser sentence would have spread like wild fire amongst
the men aboard the vessel. If Captain Vere were to have imposed a lesser sentence it would have set the
precedence for the men to believe if they were to commit an offense similar in nature and their side of the
story was heard and believed, then their sentence would also be lessened.
Additionally, Captain Vere did not come to the conclusion concerning the punishment. The lower ranking
officers came to the conclusion based on the options given to them by Captain Vere. The two options
were to condemn Billy to death or let the incident die there in the room where the crime was committed.
The officers amongst themselves decided it would be for the greater good of the ship, as well as to
maintain discipline amongst the sailors to impose death upon Billy. In the end I believe Billy was content
with the decision, however, it would have been interesting to know what Captain Vere had to say to Billy
when he entered the room with the officers conclusion.